Stamford organization keeps holiday spirit alive for needy families

By Liz Skalka

Published
3:39 pm EST, Friday, December 16, 2016

Melissa Bramble, right, and Margaret Giron pose next to presents gathered by the Angel Family program inside DOMUS in Stamford, Conn. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Bramble runs the progarm and Giron is a second-year recipient. less

Melissa Bramble, right, and Margaret Giron pose next to presents gathered by the Angel Family program inside DOMUS in Stamford, Conn. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Bramble runs the progarm and Giron is a ... more

Melissa Bramble, right, and Margaret Giron pose next to presents gathered by the Angel Family program inside DOMUS in Stamford, Conn. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Bramble runs the progarm and Giron is a second-year recipient. less

Melissa Bramble, right, and Margaret Giron pose next to presents gathered by the Angel Family program inside DOMUS in Stamford, Conn. on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016. Bramble runs the progarm and Giron is a ... more

STAMFORD — A person she would never meet gave Margaret Giron and her son their most joyful Christmas yet.

Giron and her 3-year-old, Marvin, are hoping for another superlative holiday this year as participants in a city nonprofit’s gifting program for needy families.

“Christmas is the time when you’re expected to do something extra, but it’s really hard. We usually don’t have enough for Christmas,” the Stamford mom said. “But last year was great. My little Christmas tree looked so small compared to all the gifts.”

The 21-year-old East Side resident has a job, though says it’s impossible to scrape together enough at holiday time for presents. Through the Angel Families program at Domus — the organization that helps Stamford’s struggling youth — Giron and Marvin have a Christmas to look forward to.

For more than 15 years, Domus has matched needy families with donors whose identities are kept private. The donors are given a “narrative” about the families for whom they’re buying gifts. A typical haul comes to $500, but some donors spend more than $3,000 on holiday splurges, as well as needed essentials.

“Often times personal things will be shared in the narrative,” said Melissa Bramble, who runs the program. “A kid could be sleeping on the floor or sharing a bed and people will take it upon themselves, even if it isn’t on the list, to buy another bed for the family.”

In recent years, the number of families on the receiving end of Angel Families has grown, from around 70 some years to nearly 120.

“We have a large, growing number of families who aren’t able to do anything for the holidays,” Bramble said.

“Those are families who have either gone through some dire circumstance — someone was diagnosed with cancer, a parent passed away, someone was incarcerated,” she said. “Or there are families who deal with this every day. Both parents are working 40-plus hours a week and it’s not enough to keep the lights on and buy food.”

Bramble has seen displays of generosity exceeding an Angel Family’s holiday wishlist. One donor gave a basketball fan courtside tickets to see the New York Knicks. Another provided a family with an account at a grocery store.

“That’s life changing for one of our families,” she said.

Angel Families often have no means to buy presents. Families who are better off but still struggling take part in the Domus Holiday Mall, where each child uses tickets to purchase several gifts.

Giron’s relationship with Domus predates her participation in Angel Families. She attended the organization’s charter schools, Trailblazers and Stamford academies. She has since come full circle, working now as an English-language paraprofessional at Trailblazers and donating her time to other Domus programs.

Bramble said it isn’t too late to adopt a family like the Girons for the holidays.

“What we’re looking to do is provide a full Christmas for these families,” she said.

Contact Melissa Bramble at mbramble@domuskids.org for more information.